title: Analysis of illegally distributed anabolic steroid products by liquid chromatography with identity confirmation by mass spectrometry or infrared spectrophotometry.
abstract: Anabolic steroid products found in the illegal market are primarily oil-based injectables or tablets and often do not contain the ingredients declared on the label. An analytical scheme based on a reverse-phase liquid chromatographic (LC) system for screening, tentative identification, and quantitation is presented. Methanolic sample extracts are chromatographed on an octadecyl column using 2 mobile phases (methanol and (75 + 25) methanol-water) and tracked at 3 wavelengths (240, 210, and 280 nm) or with a photodiode array UV detector. Retention time ratios (RR) relative to testosterone and UV data are used for tentative identification. The same LC system serves as a cleanup and isolation step for identity confirmation by direct insertion probe mass spectrometry (MS) or Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR). Recoveries range from 96.2 to 100.2% for 11 different steroids extracted from sesame oil. LC RR values for over 40 steroids, analytical results for typical products, and MS and FTIR spectra for selected compounds are presented.
authors.affiliation: Food and Drug Administration, Detroit, MI 48207.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ayers
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000032:analysis*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010110:Oxymetholone / Q000032:analysis; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D045930:Anabolic Agents; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D010110:Oxymetholone